Tuesday, March 16th, 2010—Bar 65

Day 65—Monday, March 15th
The Australian

Last night I got a donation from Australia! David Brooks sent me ten bucks from the land down under!

Total amount: $10.00 USD
Purpose: Valid for 1 Coopers Pale Ale
Contributor: David Brooks

David said in an email That Coopers is brewed in the state where he lives in Australia and he Googled and found an Australian bar in Manhattan called, “The Australian,” and asked if I would go there and buy a Cooper’s Green with his money. David, I like the way you think, mate! Let’s head off to get a tinny at The Australian, blokes and blokesses!

Here we are at the Australian. G'day mates!

There's a decent sized crowd in here for a Monday night.

I order up a Cooper's Green from the bartender Rodrigo and he holds up the thank you sign to my mate David who's buying the beer.

And here I am with the Cooper Green! Cheers, David, good on ya!

Here's Bill and his friend Chuck. Chuck is not pictured (you had to be there folks.)

Here's Kenny, the ohter barkeep on duty. Kenny told me there were 26 big screen TV's in The Australian.

Then he counted them and  realized there were 23. Thanks for keeping me factually correct and full of beer Kenny! Good man!

Carli was enjoying a drink and had seen 365 Bars on the Guest of a Guest website.

There's lots of tables and booths in the back room.

Here's Mike and Ulli. They are part of a special event happening at The Australian tonight (March 16th) which is a party that benefits the Vitamin Angels group. Read about the charity here: Vitamin Angels. And call The Australian for party details tonight. It's a good cause and it sounds like a great party, I hope you can stop by.

There's more tables in the front room.

Okay, check out these blokes! Toby, Wes and Steve were in town from Australia and enjoying drinks at a slice of Australia in Manhattan. Cheers, guys!

The walls of The Australian are lined with beer ads from the land of Oz.

Here's an aerial shot of the bar.

Fire! (I never get tired of this joke, I know you do, but bear with me!)

Matt the owner of The Australian. Matt's originally from Australia and has been in the states for eight years and opened The Australian two and a half years ago.

I was on the way out the door when Ulli's son and friend showed up in a taxi. From left: Marko, Ulli and her son Max. Max said Marko is his brother from another mother. And don't forget Ulli's party tonight for Vitamin Angels at The Australian. Call the bar for details, it's a good deal for a good cause.

Steve sends cheers to fellow Australian David Brooks. Goodnight everybody!

Review

The Australian is a slice of the land down under right in the heart of midtown Manhattan, mate. Chuck a sickie and check out this billabong. The bartenders and patrons are friendly and the odds of meeting someone from the land of Oz are good. Australians are friendly and best of all, they know how to drink! There’s a large bar and tables in the front and back as well as a second tier room up top.

It’s authentic Australian down to the last drop as you sample some of the Aussie brew including, Tooheys New, James Boags and four different brands of Cooper’s (I suggest Cooper’s Green which was suggested by new mate, David Brooks). And of course there’s Foster’s in the oil can. The Australian also has a full bar and an extensive wine list. And if you’re in the mood for a little authentic Oz tucker the Australian offers up some Aussie delights such as, Aussie Meat Pie, Sausage Rolls, Bangers and Mash and they offer an Australian Tasting for Two.

Happy hour is 4-7pm and they have reduced appetizer prices, wine is five dollars a glass and draft beer goes for four bucks.

If you’re in New York, and have a hankering for the land down under, giveTthe Australian a burl. And don’t worr,y I didn’t see vegemite listed on the me!u. Thanks again to Oz-native David Brooks for finding the Australian and buying me a Cooper’s Green. Next time you’re in New York, the beer’s are on me mate! G’day!

The Australian
20 West 38 Street (near Fifth Ave.)
212-869-8601

Monday, March 15th, 2010—Bar 64

Day 64—Sunday, March 14th
Rattle ‘N’ Hum

Okay, more donations continue to roll in and I appreciate your generosity. I’ve had people say, “Do you feel funny asking people for money?” And my answer is that if you’re enjoying this website and bar crawl and can afford it, consider it a cover charge for the entertainment value. I’ve kept it advertiser free and if you can afford to send me five bucks it would help me out a lot. This isn’t cheap and I appreciate the help! And speaking of help, Nick Beal sent this in:

Total amount: $20.00 USD
Purpose: head over to sushi samba on 7th ave - talk to angel

Okay, Nick, I’ll try to get to Sushi Samba soon and meet the mysterious Angel! Thanks for the twenty bucks!

Tonight I got interviewed by an Australian morning program, kind of the equivalent of the Today Show down under.  You can see the interview here: The Morning Show in Australia and here's some shots of the New York studio where it was filmed.

The studo is on 31st street on the east side of Manhattan.

Here's the waiting room...hey, what's that?

Candy! I want candy!

Here's the control room of the studio.

And here's Nick, the guy who runs and built this place.

Here I am in the chair where I did the interview live in Australia. Good morning Australia!

Okay, yesterday Brian donated 20 bucks and asked me to go to a bar called Rattle ‘N’ Hum. Well Rattle ‘N’ Hum is just blocks away from where I had to do the TV interview, so let’s oblige Brian and spend his twenty bucks!

And here we are at the Rattle 'N' Hum. Looks like a festive place.

There's  a full house here at the bar, but lucky for me...

Paul was just getting ready to leave and graciously let me have his bar stool. Thanks Paul, and cheers!

It's an impressive bar at Rattle 'N' Hum.

Just part of the wall of draft beers available. There's even more bottled beers to be had here at this beer lover's paradise.

Marianne, the friendly and cute bartender serves up the first beer of the evening, a Duvel. Cheers and thanks to Brian for buying the beer and suggesting I go here. An excellent choice Brian!

I was wondering what this gang was doing at the front end of the bar.

It turns out they were enjoying some drinks and playing a board game. They are Peter, Frank and Jake. For those of you keeping score, Jake won at the end of the night.

Scott and Julie were seated next to me at the bar. They were visiting New York and live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Here's just a partial list of bottled beers available on the wall in the back of the bar.

Here's Ashlee, Sara and Katie who were enjoying beers and some dinner in the bar.

There's a large room in the back where you can sit when the bar is full.

Which is exactly what this group is doing. From left: Carlos, John and Jessica. Jessica live in Philadelphia and John was vocal in saying that Pat's is the place to go for a Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich if you visit. I need to get to Philly!

Here's Jeremy and Carrie enjoying a quiet moment in the back room, till I came around. They work in a publishing house, so I gave them extra 365 cards. Hello book deal!

Seo Geoff agus Boylan. Tháinig siad go Nua-Eabhrac chun ceiliúradh ar Lá Fhéile Pádraig agus Geoff dúirt go raibh an teideal a bheith i nGaeilge, mar sin anseo é. Gártha le araon de duit agus fáilte go Nua-Eabhrac! (Check out an online English to Irish translation if you have trouble reading this.)

Ashlee picked my final beer and it was a great choice. She chose a bottle of  La Fin Du Monde and it was delicious! Goodnight Everybody!

Review

Rattle ‘N’ Hum is a beer drinker’s dream bar. They have one of the biggest selections of beers that New York has to offer. The bottled beer selection spans over an entire wall of the bar. It’s a fun place filled with a lively mix of locals and tourists all looking for the elusive bottle or pint that can’t be found at other New York taverns.

The bar itself is large with a wall of draft beers, tables and a large wooden bar in the front and a big back room with tables and a friendly wait staff to take your order. Glass lightbulbs hang from the high ceiling and the wooden tables and benches give the joint an Irish beer hall feel.

There’s over 60 draft Beers available and I couldn’t count all the bottled beers. There’s an entire wall that lists them all, so if you can’t find a bottle here, maybe you should stop drinking. In addition to the vast beer menu, Rattle ‘N’ Hum serves up food to soak up the suds. The menu includes burgers, wings, fish ‘n’ chips, shepards pie and a full Irish breakfast consisting of bacon, sausage, black and white pudding, grilled tomato, button mushrooms, baked beans, fried eggs and toast. Eat, drink, rattle and hum!

Rattle ‘N’ Hum
14 E 33rd St (between Madison & 5th Ave)
212-481-1586

Sunday, March 14th, 2010—Bar 63

Day 63—Saturday, March 13th
Arlene’s Grocery

Another day and another donation! Thanks to Brian for sending me 20 bucks. Brian requested that I go to Rattle ‘N’ Hum bar and I’ll be going there this week in his honor! Thanks and cheers, Brian!

Total amount: $20.00 USD
Purpose: beer money
Contributor: Brian
Message: Could you check out The Rattle N' Hum Bar. I am a huge beer fan and they have lots of microbrews there.Here is the address: 14 East 33rd Street between 5th and Madison. I am from Ohio and love what you are doing. I will continue to follow. You are living the life.

Thanks again Brian!

I also want to give a shout-out to DJ Gidget at Woody Radio. I listened to her super-cool show yesterday and she has plugged this site from day one. Gidget is the coolest DJ in the world and plays the coolest music ever. I just learned about Sia from her yesterday. Check out DJ Gidget, DJ Loki and the rest of the crew at Woody Radio here: Woody Radio. They will make you rock hard!

Alright on to the 365 crawl. Today we go full circle back in time. The first bar I went to back on January 11th was Otto’s Shrunken Head in the East Village. I was really nervous because I had no idea how people would take to this idea, if the bartender would play along and just had overall jitters. So after about six courage-inducing beers I made my way to Otto’s and was greeted by the bartender Lani Ford. I told Lani what I was doing and she was really nice to me. She posed for pictures and was a great sport about it. It gave me the guts to go up to strangers and ask to take their photo. The night turned out great and 62 nights later here we are.

In addition to mixing and pouring a mean-ass tiki drink, Lani is a singer, bass player and songwriter. She’s one third of the rocking trio, Stark and they’re playing a show tonight at Arlene's Grocery in honor of their new CD, “Race to the Floor.” Check out their new CD here: Stark, “Race to the Floor.”

There’s been many nights after the crawl is over that I’d win that race! Anyway, there’s no way I’d miss this show, so let’s go see Lani on the other side of the bar for a change at Arlene's Grocery.

Here we are at Arlene's Grocery. It's raining like crazy and that accounts for the polka dots in this photo. I kind of like them, how about you?
It's Saturday night and there's a full house and the joint is jumping.

Bartender Kevin is busy, but swiftly serves me up a can of Pabst.

My seat, my beer, my notes. Okay?

Hey, there's a familiar face in the crowd.

It's Frank Wood, who I met on the very first night of the bar crawl at Otto's! This is like a family reunion! Frank was here with his pal, John.

Frank introduced me to his friend, Janis.

There's no food at Arlene's, but you can bring in your own pizza, as Shauna and Ashley did. It was Ashley's 24th birthday and Shauna asked if I remembered being 24 and I had to confess I didn't remember the night before. Shauna drums for the band Red Gretchen and they had just finished their set at Arlene's. Check them out here: Red Gretchen.

And here's Ronnie who is also in Red Gretchen. Ronnie plays guitar and is the singer and songwriter for the band.

Here's Aboibhin and David who just got here from Glasgow, Scotland. Welcome to New York!

Ethan and Andee were enjoying drinks at the bar. Andee wished my liver good luck on the bar crawl.

Mark and Robin were hanging out next to me at the bar. Mark plays bass for the band Underground Saints, who were playing that night at Arlene's. I told him I'd check out their set.

And here's Lani, ready to rock out with her band Stark.

Here's the aforementioned Underground Saints. They put on a great show.

Underground Saints rocking out in a Saintly manner.

There's a full bar downstairs in the concert area.

And it's more reunion madness as I see Denton (on the right) who I met at Manitoba's weeks ago. He's here with Frank Wood and Crazy Glen. Cheers, guys.

I got a fresh Pabst from Joe the bartender right before Stark was scheduled to take the stage.

Here's the empty Stage, Stark is coming out any second now.

Balloons are released and...

Ladies and gentlemen, it's Stark!

Lani rocking out onstage.

Joe Hogan on guitar and Eric Robel on drums.

Lani belting out a tune. I love her John Entwistle styled Budweiser holder!

Joe and Lani getting into a groove.

Stark rocking the house.

There was a full house for the CD release party.

Stark onstage, video one.

Video two.

And a three...

And a four. Goodnight everybody!

Review

The only cleanup mishap in aisle one of Arlene’s Grocery will most likely be a spilled can of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. Arlene’s Grocery is an upstairs bar, downstairs music hall that’s been showcasing original bands since 1996. The building is a former Puerto Rican bodega and the outside remains the same. Inside it’s now a host of upcoming bands showcasing their rock ‘n’ roll stylings. One of the bands who cut their onstage teeth here were The Strokes and the stage here has seen guests from, R.E.M., Dashboard Confessional, Guster, and the Violent Femmes.

There’s a full bar upstairs away from the music. It’s a no nonsense, brick-walled joint with cheap drinks and a back room with chairs and tables to relax before heading downstairs to rock out to the bands who are featured that evening. Most nights there are around a half dozen bands playing downstairs and the cover is ususally just ten bucks for the entire evening. A hand stamp allows you to come and go.

There’s also a full bar downstairs along with tables in the back and a decent-sized area in the front for rocking out and cheering on your local favorite band. There’s rock and roll karaoke every Monday and an open mic on Saturday afternoon. Support live music and check out Arlene’s Grocery in the Lower East Side. Oh and Stark rocked the shit out of the house! It was a great show and the crowd loved them.

Arlene’s Grocery
95 Stanton St (near Ludlow St.)
212-358-1633